Portable stack lifter



Jan. 28', 1930. J.' F. WARREN PORTABLE STACK LIFTER Filed June 16. 1927 2 sheets-sheet `1 Jan. 28, 1 930. J. F. WARREN I 1,745,051

PORTABLEb STACK LIFTER Filed June le,v 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 www By Www@ @Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT orf-'ICE JAY r.A WARREN, oF DETROIT, MTCHTGAN, Assis-NOR To ROBERT T. ROMINE, or

MOUNT GLEMENS, MICHIGAN A PORTABLE STACK LIFTER Application led June 16,

` This invention relates toA a portable stack lifter or crane which is capable of being propelled through relatively low doorways or Where restricted overhead room is provided. The apparatus is adapted to be moved or carried into or out of a freight car and to straddle a stack of metal of great weight and lift it bodily, as a unit, from the car iioor and deposit it on the iioor of a truck or other conveyance or vice versa. Such stack lifter or 'crane is substantially like that shown and described in co-pendinw` applications .of Robert T; Romine, Serial ilo. 133,374 filed Sep- 'v tember 3, 1926,-and Serial No. 171,976 iiled March 2, 1927. This application is an improvement in part over the invention shown A and described in the aforesaid co-pending applications.-

An object of the present invention is to provide a portable stack lifter having an attachment which is adapted to be detachably connected with the load supporting and lift.- ing members or bars ofthe stack lifter shown and described in said co-pending application b l Serial No. 171,976, above referred to, and

which is adapted for use at steel mills 'or the like in connection with the loading o f freight cars with sheetmetal, particularly although not necessari-ly, nished sheet steel. ,The attachment comprising my invention enables a pack or pile of metal sheets positioned flatwise upon a buggy or low truck to be lifted as a whole from the truck and deposited, as

a unit, upon the car floor. It will be seen* that the improved apparatus enables the elimination of theold and well known method of manually transferring. the constituent sheetsV of the pile from the buggy or low truck to the car floor. In accordance with previous practice, two Workmen are required to perform the operation of transferring the metal sheets from the buggy to the floor of the car.

The individual sheets are manually handled,

andhcIlCe this method of stacking the sheets on thel car floor requires a great amount of time, and involves a very considerable labor expense.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus capable of being readily attached to the stack lifter hoisting apparatus 1927. Serial No. 199,355.

and which is constructed so as to be .fully flexible to allow its use in connection with the handling of packsor piles of metal sheets of varying dimensions.

In the patent to Romine No. 1,650,540, pat- 55 cnted November 22, 1927, a method of shipping sheet metal, with the sheets of the packs on edge, is illustrated. It has been found that steel mills, while utilizing this method together with equipment for handling the packs, desire the use of the equipment for handling sheet metal where some consumers, such as small consumers, may require the metal sheets to be shipped in 4 flat stacked packs. The presentinvention enables flat boimd or unbound stacks to be readily and easily handled .by means of the vportable stack lifter or crane and loaded in the car without any manual handling of the individual sheets as heretofore, so that the stacks may then'beY 70 braced orotherwise prepared for shipment. :One form of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein llike characters of reference indicate similar parts in the several views. 75 In said drawings Fig. 1 is a.side elevationof my portable stack .lifter or crane with .the apparatus of this invention connected therewith, the appara/tusA being shown supporting a pile'or-So pack of vthe metal sheets arranged iatwise. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isa side ,elevation on an venlarged scale, of my improved apparatus or attachment.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the 'construction shown in Fig. 3. Before explaining in' detail the present invention, and the method or mode of operation. embodiedtherein, it is to'be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and ar.- rangement of parts illustrated in the accom-l panying drawings, since the invention is capable' of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it isto be understood that the phraseology or Iterminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and noty of limitatio n, and it is not intended-to limit the inventi on beyond .the terms ofthe several claims hereto appended or the requirements ofthe prior art.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown a portable stack lifter or crane V hav-y ing an arched frame and spaced pairs of supporting legs 10. The vstack lifter is normally supported by means of spring pressed caster wheels 11. rlhe upper frame structure of the stack lifter encloses suitable hoisting mechanism including a motor and winding drums which serve to raise and lower longitudinal y lifting bars 12. Cables'C are wound about l transverse horizontal bars 20. Each of the bars 20 is provided at its opposite ends with hook members or attaching means in the form of substantially U-shaped metal plates 21 each having outwardly and downwardly turned end or hook portions 2lal providing means for detachably engaging the bars 12 of the stack lifter. Each member 21 is rigid- 1y secured upon the bar 2O by means of rivets or the like 22.- At the upper edge oli the bar and adjacent each end thereof there are provided a plurality of notches 23 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Mounted upon the bar 20 and adapted to be moved longitudinally thereof are a pair of inverted substantially U-shaped coupling or connecting members 24 enlarged at their ends to provide heads or eye portions 24 which are provided with apertures or holes 25 to receive a detachable Apin or bolt 2G having an integral head 26' at one end, and a transverse hole or slot- 26b adjacent its opposite end.

Each unit A comprises a pair of spaced uprightgusset plates 27 which are connected together at their lower ends by means of an angle bar 28. The angle bar is provided with a vertical flange 28a and a horizontal flange 28", the vertical flange being in. engagement with the lower outer face of each plate 27 and secured thereto by means of rivets or the *like 29 having countersunk heads so as to lie flush with the inner face of the plates to prevent them from becoming sheared off when the unit engages a ile ot metal S. The horizontal flange 28b o opposed units is adapted to be inserted beneath a pile or pack S as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The gusset plates 27 are each provided adjacent their upper ends with a slot or aperture 27LL through which is inserted a metal loop or link 30. The links 30 permit the units A to be connected with and supported by the coupling members 24 and, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the upper ends of the links 30 are positioned between the pairs of eye members 24 and the bolts 26 inserted to maintain the parts in fixed relation. To prevent the bolts 26 from becoming disengaged from the eye-members and links, I provide a pin 31 which is inserted through the rfnsverse hole or slot 26" formed in cach From the foregoing it will be seen that the units A' are adjustable longitudinally of the bars 2O and are maintained in adjusted positions through the medium of the notches 23 which receive the upper ends of the coupling' members 24 and maintain them against accidental relative movement with respect to the bars 20. Likewise it will be seen that the units may be disconnected from the bars 20 by simply releasing the pins 31 and bolts 26. Vith my improved attachment, packs or piles of metal of different widths may be readily engaged and lifted or lowered by simply adjusting the units A along the bars 20 and inserting the flanges 28b beneath the lower longitudinal edges of the pile. When it is not desired to use the attachment, it is simply necessary to disengage or unhook the end portions 2l*1L of the members 21 from the bars 12 of the stack lifter.

- By providing angle bars 28 of sufficient length, it will be seen that piles or packs of metal of various lengths may be readily engaged and lifted by the attachment. By providing such angles, longitudinal adjustment of the apparatus relative to the stack lifter frame is unnecessary, although it will be understood that the units A and the bars 2O I without the necessity of altering the construction of my standard type portable stack lifter or crane.

It will be notedthat the angle bars 28 are of a length to extend a substantial distance beyond opposite sides of the transverse center 100 (Fig. 3) of the pack. r1`hese angles which confine the lower edges of the pack when lifted provide rigid supporting trusses effective to prevent bowing or bending of the pack of sheets at the center thereof, indicated by the line 100`in Fig. 3. This construction therefore maintains the pack flat while being lifted by the stack lifter hoisting mechanism and prevents any danger of the angles ios - 2.`In a portable crane having. an arched frame' and 4hoisting mechanism, a ,pairof spaced parallel lift bars supported from'said mechanism, a pair of transverse lift bars mounted on said first named bars, a load engaging'and lifting member suspended at op# posite ends' from said transversebars, said member comprising devices adjustable on the bars, a plate pivctally connected to each de-v vice and an angle bar secured to the lower edges of the'platesandhaving an inwardly extending flange. j Y

3. In a portable crane having an arched frame and hoisting mechanism, a pair of 4'spaced horizontal lift bars vsupported from said mechanism, a load engaging and lifting member suspendedat opposite ends from said bars, said member lcomprising devices ad- 'justable on the bars, a depending plate having a pivotal link connection at the upper end thereof with each device and at the lower end thereof provided with a horizontal angle bar laving an inwardly extending horizontal ang 4. In a portable crane having an arched framev and hoisting mechanism including pairs of depending cable operated shea-ves, a orizontal bar connecting each .pair of sheaves, a pair of horizontal bars extending transversely between. said rst named bars andadjustable thereon, depending links ad` justable on said transverse bars, a pair of. spaced dependin plates pivotally connectedv to .a pair of said inks, and an angle bar connecting the lower ends of said plates and having an inwardly extending flange engageable beneath the load.

5. In a portable crane having an arched 'frame and hoisting mechanism including pairs of depending cable operated sheaves, a horizontal bar connecting each pair of sheaves, a pair of horizontal bars extending` transversely between said first named bars and supported thereon, a hook device suspended at its opposite upper ends from said transverse bars, comprising gusset plates and an angle-bar joining the lower edges of the plates.

-6.l In a portable crane having` an arched frame and hoisting mechanism including pairs of depending cable operated sheaves, a horizontal bar connecting each pair of.

sheaves, a pair of horizontal bars extendingtransversely between said first named bars and supported thereon, and a pair oftransversely spaced depending hook devices, each hookdevice suspended at its upper ends from the pair of transverse bars.

lIn testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

` J AY F. WARREN. 

